Page 8 of Inevitable

“You can’t do this!” My father seethes.

“I believe I just did,” Luca replies, giving my father a bored expression. My father lifts his chin in defiance and straightens his posture. He stares Luca down for a little before Luca snaps, slamming his fist on the desk. “Sign the damn papers, William!”

My father glances back and forth between Luca and me. He seems to be thinking over his options and for whatever reason this has something to do with me.

“Father? What papers?” I ask.

I get no response though. Why is everyone acting like I am invisible? My eyes bounce rapidly around the room until I turn to Giovanni, he gives me a slight nod, acknowledging me before facing forward again. Well at least I know I am not truly invisible.

My father’s shoulders slump and he sighs heavily. He aggressively grabs whatever papers Luca handed him and signs them, shoving them back at him before turning around to face the fireplace. Luca gathers them up and hands the papers off to a man standing next to him.

“Let’s go,” Luca barks.

All of the men start making their way out of the room like a well-practiced unit. Luca brushes past me as he walks by as if he didn’t even see me.

“Mio Amore?” I blurt before I can even help myself. My voice shakes, the confusion and hurt evident.

He stops mid stride and his back stiffens for a moment, but that is the only indication that he heard me before he strides out of the room. Giovanni places his arm behind me and gently pushes me out the door. I look back panicked.

“Father? Where am I going? What did you do?”

He doesn’t turn around, just stares at the damn fire with a glass of scotch in hand. Giovanni forces me to move faster out of the house and I comply since it looks like I don’t have much of a choice. He ushers me back into the SUV and slams the door before it takes off to God knows where.

What the fuck just happened?

Chapter Three

Ashlynn

We have been driving in the car for what seems like forever but is more than likely only 45 minutes or so. I have imagined all sorts of different scenarios of what it would be like to see Luca again. Our eyes would meet across a coffee shop and we would run to each other and swear to never be apart again.

In none of those fantasies did I ever imagine him looking at me like a stranger. What has happened to him? He is different now, jaded. He exudes power and dominance and made it abundantly clear he couldn’t care less about me. I can’t even begin to explain just how badly that hurts.

We pull up to a huge mansion, no, an estate. It makes my home look petite in comparison. But while ours is all glitz and glam this looks historic, refined. The home is a palazzo style with two winding staircases leading from the driveway to the front entrance. Each side of the building has private balconies on all stories with sprawling bay windows. Despite how excessive it is, it’s gorgeous.

The car stops and I am helped out of it once again. Giovanni and the two others that were in our car flank me on all sides as we ascend the steps. When we enter, a young maid that can’t be much older than 20 is there to greet us.

“Marisol,” Giovanni greets. “Please take Miss Adams to her room.”

She smiles softly and bows her head before she takes my hand and pulls me deeper into the foyer. There is a spiral staircase on either side of the room, mimicking the ones outside. There is also a wrought iron banister that sits in the middle as it overlooks the foyer from the second story. She leads me over to the stairs as we make our way up. I am so overwhelmed with everything that is going on around me that it takes me a moment to process what Giovanni just said.

“Wait. My room? Why do I have a room? Whose house is this? Why am I here?”

I can’t stop the questions that come pouring from my mouth. Marisol looks at me with a sad smile and bows her head before facing forward again. I am starting to get really pissed that no one will talk to me. It feels like that game when you are a kid where someone pretends you don’t exist and every time you talk, they say, “Do you hear something? No? Me neither.”

We come to a huge door with hand carving details in it, it’s beautiful and obviously extremely old. But I don’t give a shit about a door right now.

“Where is Luca?” I demand.

Marisol ignores my question as she folds her hands in front of her. “Everything you need should be in your room. If you need something please advise your guard and I will be happy to get it for you,” Marisol says, her voice meek and soft.

“My guard?” I ask with my eyebrows raised.

Suddenly, as if he came out of thin air, a large man who is built like a brick house steps up to us and nods his head in acknowledgement. Okay that’s it, calm amicable Ashlynn has officially left the building. I decide I have to do something. I dart past Marisol, heading for the stairs. I almost make it to the bottom steps before the guard’s arms wrap around me.

Unfortunately for both of us all he does is trip me up. We end up tumbling down the stairs and end with him landing on top of me. My head cracks against the marble step and I hear muffled shouting before everything fades away to darkness.

-

---